The forward left in the final minute of a 5-2 win against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday. He grabbed his right leg after making a pass near the Wild net and required help leaving the ice. Pacioretty missed the previous two games with a lower-body injury and the first 38 this season while recovering from surgery to repair a torn Achilles. He has three goals in five games.
"He's not in very good spirits. He's getting checked out today," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said earlier Friday. "He knows we're all thinking of him, but that doesn't really do much. We don't know exactly what has happened, but I know it doesn't look good. We will know more in the next few days,"
Pacioretty, who was acquired in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights on July 13, had 37 points (19 goals, 18 assists) in 39 games last season. The 34-year-old is a six-time 30-goal scorer.
"It put a damper on the win a little bit after seeing how much work he's put into this point," Carolina defenseman Brady Skjei said after the game Thursday. "Just thinking about him right now and just really tough to see."
Selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round (No. 22) of the 2007 NHL Draft, Pacioretty has 645 points (326 goals, 319 assists) in 855 regular-season games with the Hurricanes, Golden Knights and Canadiens and 49 points (25 goals, 24 assists) in 74 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
NHL.com independent correspondent Kurt Dusterberg contributed to this report
